News and Stuff

April 20, 2018

We are about two months away from the release of Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom. This sequel appears to be getting much more promotional hype than its predecessor. I thought it would be an excellent time to brush up on the events of prior films and off-screen occurrences. The Dinosaur Protection Group website has provided us with a vast amount of new canon for the franchise. The link provided below provides a vast amount of additional backstory while clearing up long-speculated topics. It is revealed that there were in fact eight species of dinosaur present on Isla Nublar at the time of the Jurassic Park incident, including the seven seen in the film and Compsognathus . We learn that Dr. Wu returned to Isla Sorna after the events of The Lost World Jurassic Park to conduct additional genetics work. The site reveals that at least four new species of dinosaur were cloned here, including the Spinosaurus. This revelation explains many of the plot holes associated with Jurassic Park 3 such as the origin of new dinosaurs and adds new relevancy to a film that had previously been considered by some as the worst of the series.

Paleontologists in the United Kingdom have just released details regarding a new theropod discovered near Cardiff, Wales. The name Dracoraptor hanigani has been proposed by Dr. David Martill of the University of Portsmouth. The remains are believed to belong to a juvenile due to the development of the bones. What makes this find so significant is its age, dating back to around 200 million years ago. Relatively few dinosaur remains exist from this transitional period from Triassic to Jurassic, meaning that this discovery could shed light on the nature of dinosaur evolution as the dinosaurs began to fill the voids in the newly emerging ecosystem. To find out more, follow the link below.

There are many unknowns about the dinosaurs. Perhaps no aspect has been greater studied than the mass extinctions which have repeatedly wiped out almost all life on earth. The most accepted theory by paleontologists is that a comet collided with earth 65 million years ago and the environmental effects of this impact led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. A Harvard physicist, Lisa Randall, has tackled the looming question: why? What exactly sent the comet toward earth remains a mystery, but Randall believes that dark matter may have been the culprit. Her book Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs: The Astounding Interconnectedness of the Universe explains her hypothesis that dark matter in the Milky Way had a gravitational effect on the Oort cloud, sending the comet on its lethal trajectory.

News has surfaced recently regarding the upcoming 'Jurassic World Hybrids' toy line from Hasbro. JPToys forum member Miller23time posted a UPC listing of various toys from the line. I can't say that I'm blown away by the offerings, considering at least half will likely be repaints. Some have speculated that these toys will feature vibrant colors similar to the Chaos Effect toys from 1998. As a collector and a fan of Jurassic World: The Game I will be sure to collect them all. Could we expect an Owen figure in this vehicle playset? Let's wait and see.

After all this time we can finally bring Jurassic World home. There are many bonus features available and I highly recommend any fans of the franchise to purchase a copy. I managed to snag the very impressive lunch box edition exclusive from Wal-Mart. Expect more content covering this film to make its way into this site soon. Now we gear up and continue to wait for more substantial information to surface regarding the upcoming sequel, scheduled to begin filming in 2017.